The 2003
Association of West Virginia Solid Waste Authorities Conference has
again recognized an individual from a county solid waste authority who
by their outstanding achievements and meritorious service has advanced
the cause of preserving our environment as the “Solid Waste Volunteer
of the Year”.

To be
selected, the honoree must be an individual who reaches out beyond the
confines

of his or her paid employment and
normal responsibilities to contribute time and service to a not-for-profit
cause in the belief that this activity is beneficial to the solid waste
industry. The nominees for this years award include Charles Biggs of
Morgan County Solid Waste Authority,

Previous
winners include Allan W. Babcock of Marion County, the late Frederick
Clark of Randolph County, the late Roger King of Wood County, Denver Enoch
of Ritchie County, Edwin C. “Bud” Weigle of Tyler County, Walter Swiger of
Harrison County, Harry Reiter of Brooke County and John Tuckwiller of
Greenbrier County.

This year's Volunteer of the
Year has been a dedicated officer for many years of a local solid waste
authority, as well as serving the counties development authority. From
the beginning of this volunteer's involvement with the solid waste
authority, this special person has worked tirelessly finding recycling
solutions for this rural county. Preparing grant applications,
coordinating the transportation of recyclables, and spearheading the
building of recycling facilities, this special person had the vision to
know that the community would respond in a supportive fashion. And
respond they have! Last year the amount of recycled materials was 6.4
times greater than just four years ago. In other words, the amount of
recyclables collected in this small county grew from 23,000 pounds per
year to 147,000 pounds. That is about 25 pounds of recyclables for every
man, woman and child. This was not an easy accomplishment; it took total
dedication, commitment and strong leadership.

This year's Volunteer of the
Year has also dedicated time and effort to the community on many other
fronts including, overseeing the clean up and reclamation of open dumps,
serving on the board of the county health services association, Relay for
Life, and the county alumni association. Over the past several years,
this volunteer has worked with the "Wetlands Project" that was developed
by the county board of education, and the local conservation district to
educate grade school students about the importance of taking care of our
land.

These are only a few accomplishments of this very special person, a
volunteer in every sense of the word, a fellow West Virginian who has
dedicated herself to improving solid waste management and protecting our
environment. The 2003 Volunteer of the Year is Sarah Douglas, of Wirt
County, West Virginia.